Internal Destruction
by Teccan
Summary: Before Ichigo decides to whether or not to join the Vaizards, he must overcome a problem that his past has once again brought for him. With a mysterious Shinigami at his side, he wonders if he alone can control the Hollow, or must he go to them for help?
1. Mysterious Ally! Return of Old Friend?

Bleach Fanfiction: Internal Destruction

by Teccan

_-This fanfiction is based on the manga, but not as far as the manga as of October. This will only include parts of Rukia's return and the realization of Aizen's creations. There are spoilers, but not the huge ones. For reference, my fic begins at the end of Volume 24, Chapter 213. Also, references from the Bleach OVA will be included._

**Chapter 1**

The wind howled noisily as the morning storm began to brew. Taking this time to himself, the substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, found himself attempting to rest. For most of the day, especially after the long night against the Arrancar, Hollow activity was low...and Rukia seemed to be on his mind. Her appearance and display of power caught Ichigo off-guard, especially since Rukia's image had been ingraved in his head as a helpless woman in need of his protection. But now...she was a true Shinigami, taking her place as the 3rd seated of her division.

Laying on his back, restless on his bed, Ichigo could only stare at his hand in dismay. Could he promise that this hand would never do anything he didn't wish it to do? Was it possible to simply believe that everything would be alright? He had no problem understanding the torment within him, but he had a problem with realizing that he was slowly losing his grip over his body. The young 15-year-old sighed heavily and looked out his window. That world...that city that he had sworn to Rukia and himself to protect...he knew...that without the control, that promise would shatter instantly.

The self-inducing torment was driving him to the point where he didn't even want to be alive...but he had much to live for. He guessed as long as he had that, he would be able to survive this problem that he had. He turned over on his stomach and sighed again, this time with an additional emotion.

"Ichi-nii!"

The head of the orange-haired kid still laid within the pillow his bed.

"Ichi-nii!"

Still no movement.

"Ichi-niiiiii! Breakfast is ready!"

Bursting into the room came Kurosaki Yuzu, the brown-headed child that took more after their deceased mother than the other children. "Ichi-nii...wake up!"

Ichigo rubbed his head into his pillow and pushed up. Noting the worried look on his kid sister's face, he quickly put on the facade that he had been keeping up for the last few months. "My bad, Yuzu. I'll be right down," he said, getting up. Shoving his pain aside, he stretched and yawned before leaving his room to wash up.

_**How pathetic Ichigo...first you try and take my move and now you're like this...pathetic. You're mine, Ichigo!**_

After he had left the room, Yuzu walked in to change the sheets, only to find something wrong with Ichigo's pillow. There was a damp spot in the pillow. _How strange...Ichi-nii doesn't normally drool..._ With a confused face, the young girl began her daily cleaning in wonder of Ichigo's seemingly new habit.

-----

The storm outside had only filled him with peace, rather than the agitation that it caused those that could not see him. The wind blew through his short black hair, and though he really wanted to become a part of the society there, he had already found himself in a situation where just being revealed would cause problems between him and Soul Society. A lot of conflict had occured here in this city...and like a fly to the flame, he was drawn to it. He felt that a battle was going to begin, but when...? That, in itself, would be revealed in due time.

He yawned loudly and threw his head back into the wind. _Man, Ichigo...after all you've been through, you still haven't learned your lesson..._

Chuckling to himself, he let his trenchcoat open and the wind blow it, revealing only a bit of who this man really was. A hilt could be seen from the openings, and a white shirt showed underneath. He looked upon the city once more, but his vision had changed. It was like the city was under a white hue, and the people walking the streets faded into it. However, a light grey wave spread all over the city slowly and surely. From his point at the lightpole, the mysterious man could see the black dot of which the grey wave belonged to.

_The fact of the matter is...your spirit force oozes out...that guy, Banjin...he told you before and you destroyed him without even thinking of how you got into trouble in the first place._

Something interrupted his thoughts. He felt another spirit force...not as strong, but it was oozing out as well. As he looked, he saw a dark-skinned young man with brown hair. He looked quite built, and though it was interesting to the city's spectator, he was obviously not one of the prime interests.

_Your spirit force has affected those around you...and have put them in danger...and yet you still fail to understand. Ichigo, your spirit force is flowing all throughout the city...soon everyone will absorb this energy and create a Hollow haven for you to fight again._

Knowing that none of this would ever reach Ichigo, he laughed to himself and closed his trenchcoat. _Let's get to work, then._ With a flash, he was gone, stepping away from his previous post.

---

Silence, an unfamiliar sound in the Kurosaki household, swept through it as breakfast was eaten at the table. Ichigo didn't make eye contact with anyone at the table, much less talked to them. Fact was, Ichigo was afraid. Knowing that he no longer had the ability to protect his family, he felt that he had no reason to look at them with those eyes that had promised protection not too long ago. It hurt him knowing that he would eventually give in to the power that had been once a blessing, but now a curse. Thinking about it was making him grow more and more ill.

He rose from the table, and again, looking away, muttered something about not feeling well and going back up to his room. Each step he made felt heavy all of a sudden, as if all his strength was being drained away from him and the effort of simply walking took a large amount of his stamina.

Finally reaching his room, his heavy body landed upon the newly made bed. Face first into the sheets, he felt a need to sleep...but he didn't want to wake up. His closet door opened. Slowly at first, but then as if certain that no one was around, it slammed the rest of the way. Two thumps were heard and the cocky and proud boyish voice spoke.

"Oi, where's my breakfast, Ichigo?"

"I wiwwn't wet awy."

"What the...Ichigo!" The smaller female jumped on top of Ichigo's back and landed on one foot. "What did you say?"

Ichigo's head popped up. "I said, 'I didn't get any!'" He screamed. Pushing off the bed, he forced Rukia off of his back and stood up. "I'm tired. If you want food, just go through the front door and tell them you're here to see me and make up some excuse why you didn't eat breakfast.

"Why should I go through the trouble of doing all that? That means I'd have to dress up! I shouldn't have to do that just to have breakfast!" Rukia yelled. Of course, this was always playful between Rukia and Ichigo.

"Just go! I don't want to deal with you today," Ichigo said quieter, lying back down. Rukia frowned and grunted. "I'll just wait for you to do it."

"I'm not doing it," Ichigo responded, lifting his head. Again, Rukia grunted. "You will."

"No, I won't!"

"Yes, you will!"

"No, I won't!"

"Yes, you will!"

Ichigo sighed and reached into his back pocket. "I don't have time for this. I need some time alone." Pulling out his Shinigami badge, a shockwave of spirit force separated body and soul. Ichigo, in his Shinigami clothing, was already on the window sill. "Get Kon to take care of my body, and get your own breakfast." The young Shinigami looked out to the city. "Later."

"Ichigo! Where are--"

Ignoring her calls, he hopped from house to house, fleeing his home. Thoughts raced through his head. More like he was only in his mind, and his body was following muscle memory of the city as he attempted to solve the internal conflict within his powerful yet unstable soul.

_What am I going to do? There's no way I can control this on my own..._

Remember the conversation with Rukia last night, he recalled himself mentioning Uruhara's inability to aid him in his problems. But that also meant that Uruhara knew more than what he could chew...and that meant he had something else to offer Ichigo. The stubbornness of the young boy, however, prevented him from questioning Uruhara's intelligence on his situation and moved forward, hoping that a Hollow would show up and take his mind off of the Hollow force inside of him. But none appeared, and his badge remained silent.

With nothing else to turn his mind, he returned to the battle within his world...a place he had begun to hate.

---

Looking to the sky, it was like he could sense the calamities that would soon rain upon the peaceful yet spiritual city of Karakura. Being a man that wielded the powers of the great calamities, he could sense forces that had a likeness to his own. With his Zanpakutoh at his waist, he began to move toward Ichigo's somewhat random yet determinable location. It would emerge there...a problem that Ichigo would once again have to face.

_Ichigo, do you really understand what you're doing? You're doing this..._

With determination painted on his face, the stranger moved quicker, attempting to intercept Ichigo before it was too late, but without wasting his power. Being in the human world, he had to keep his spirit power to a minimum while trying to complete his goals. With knowledge of Ichigo's influence, he knew that it was a bad idea to release any more than he needed to unless of emergency.

---

A loud howling noise could be heard throughout the spiritual side of the city as Ichigo traveled on to his unknown destination. But what he soon realized was that there was an obstacle. Looking up to the sky, he heard yet another howl as numerous portals from Hueco Mundo opened. Familiar with this scene, he didn't dare hesitate a moment as his Zanpakutoh was released from its self-bandaging sheath. But in the time it took for him to unsheath his sword, the Hollows had already emerged from the portals and more followed. The numbers grew and grew, with Hollows of all different shapes and levels of power. Before long, they had grouped up and tossed themselves toward Ichigo.

_Damn! What the hell is going on? Normally they search before attacking...but for some reason they're working--_

With less time to talk, Ichigo quickly raised his spiritual pressure high enough to repel the weaker Hollows in the front line while the rest charged through. Surrounded on all sides, Ichigo jumped into the air and looked down as the Hollows came together at his recent point. The young Shinigami raised his sword into the air, channeling spiritual force into it.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

A slashing force of spirit force came down upon the congregating Hollows, killing several while cutting through. Landing on another building, Ichigo watched as the building fell apart into two. Surprised, he was almost unable to defend himself from the attack from behind as a flying Hollow attempted to scratch through him. Turning quickly, his large sword stood firm in front of his body to block the blow. Then pushing against the sword, the substitute pushed back the Hollow, slashing through the mask. However, it wasn't enough. He had wasted too much energy on that one Hollow, and by doing so, he was piled on by tens of Hollows. The force of them coming from above pushed him through the roof of the building, forcing Ichigo to fall through the building.

A battle cry could be heard as Ichigo attempted to pull himself away from the Hollow's grasp. He could hear the whispers of the Hollows..."food...delicious...tasty..."

The whispers were more than enough. Ichigo burst his spirit force outward, trying to break them off of him. They broke away and dissolved due to the damage to their mask. Ichigo's burst shot him towards the ground, forcing him to land on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Panic raced through his body. He was actually fighting for his life here...but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He hopped back up and shot above and through the building, only to get tackled by another flood of Hollows from his right flank. They pushed him on his side, forcing him across the sky. Ichigo's anger was growing.

With his Zanpakutoh in his right hand, he couldn't move enough to defend himself. i These Hollows...why are they so troublesome...? I should be cutting through these! /i 

"Sansai o Umidasu...(Bring the Three Calamities!)"

Ichigo's eyes opened wide. Who was that voice?

"Kusanagi!"

An explosion occured, pushing Ichigo farther back, but loosening his load. Ichigo almost hesitated, but managed to slice upward through the rest of the Hollows, purifying them. With the confusion gone, Ichigo flipped backwards onto the nearest building. He looked to his savior with arrogance. "Who are you?"

The man's sword glowed with flame, but quickly dissipated. The actual sword looked no bigger than a katana, but upon closer inspection, three rectangular holes could be seen within the sword. "Don't worry about that. I was trying to stop you," he said, looking up. "But I guess I was kinda late. Was trying to stay low-key but I guess a Shikai cannot be helped."

"Eh...I had it," Ichigo said, grunting. "The name's--"

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I know. I've been feeling the pulses of your reiatsu since yesterday."

Ichigo grunted once more and looked up. The Hollow were retreating...or were they...? As one could tell from Ichigo's position, they were retreating. But Ichigo remembered that formation before...something big was coming...and they were going to spectate.

---

_Ichigo..._

From the fight that was currently happening, Ichigo's spirit force was detected simutaneously by the spiritually adept. All Shinigami, ex-Shinigami, Quincy, and spiritual human had felt the pulse from Ichigo. Strangely enough, many of these had never felt a pulse like this. The pulse was created out of desperation...as if the very depths of his soul had created it. This pulse was so startling that the spirit force of the mysterious one was masked.

Before another word could be said, the Hollow alarm finally went off. Though the phones opened, only one image could be seen, and that was the direction of the Hollows. Hitsugaya tapped the screen on the phone from his location at Orihime's. "Damn it, it froze...stupid junk."

Knowing that the Hollow appearance would be linked to Ichigo's spirit pulse, he followed the procedure of removing his faux body and running to the scene. And as he expected, he was joined by the other Shinigami who were recently stationed on the real world. With nothing on the situation, he gave no orders and instead motioned them to take caution.

---

What the Hollows were converging on was now a gaping hole in the sky. And what was to emerge from the hole was something that Ichigo had already imagined...a Hollow. Not just any Hollow, and Meno Grande Hollow. Just like the time before, when he Ishida had challenged him to that duel, this was the moment. A Gillian was to appear. Ichigo clenched his hilt tightly and prayed silently that he wouldn't lose control.

The mysterious man with the burning blade now relaxed slightly and held his Zanpakutoh out in front of him. His spirit power could be seen flowing around the sword in a circling motion, like water flow. Afterwards, the spirit power became water and continued the flow. "Be careful. Whatever comes out of that hole needs to go down fast."

Despite the warning, Ichigo refrained from using Bankai. He was starting to learn what went on with the Hollow inside of him. It became clearer and clearer. The Bankai he had learned weakened him the more he pushed it, allowing the Hollow to, little by little, attempt to take over. He was sure this man didn't know of his Bankai, so he kept the secret of Tensa Zangetsu to himself.

The hole opened wider, and a figure could be seen. As the two young Shinigami looked up, they saw a humanoid figure. Instead of relief, Ichigo felt even more tense. He knew that he could take down a Gillian with his current power, but not an Arrancar.

Silence followed, and the figure did not move for a moment. Then, from the hole, a devilish voice filled with hatred and desire spoke. The pitch was high, as if just a boy.

"**_Hey...I found you...little Shinigami. It's been a while..."_**

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and clenched his hilt even tighter. "Who are you?"

Laughter was the first answer to Ichigo's question. The figure moved forward and out of the hole, showing an Arrancar with a body similar to that of a small child, but with Hollow mask pieces over his eyes and the right side of his forehead. The portal closed. "I'm an old friend. Last time we met you cut me all the way up to my face, but you couldn't kill me. But that shit hurt, you know? So I vowed to kill you the next time I met you. Knowing that I couldn't let it happen again, I--"

A blast of water pushed towards the kid and seemingly knocked him back. The Shinigami stranger had attacked with his sword, and once again, the second of the rectangular holes were covered. "You can talk when we're not in the position to attack," he said, now allowing the water to reform around the sword.

The blast had pushed the Hollow-Shinigami fusion back, but not enough to indicate sufficient damage. The child-like being of evil smirked and stood tall once again, standing on spiritual power in the air. b i **_"You're kidding, right? Let me finish, and THEN I'll kill you." /b /i _**

But time was not on the Arrancar's side as in the distance spots of black could be seen against the sunrise. _More Shinigami...with quite powerful pressure..._ The smirk left his face as a more serious visage took hold. "We'll have to continue my story someplace else, with a better view. And I have just the place..." He spread his arms out and allowed the hole in his stomach to create a projection of itself with spirit energy. The projection then widened and spiritual force had begun to pull inward. "Come, come, my friends..."

Without fair warning, Ichigo and the other man found themselves being pulled into the vortex that had been created by the Arrancar. With only a split-second to react, they had nothing to grab to and fell into the vortex, taking one last look outside as if attempting to grab the last bit of light the real world had to offer them before it closed. The last thing Ichigo saw was a silhouette of he thought was the woman who had changed his life...

---

"Damn it!" Rukia screamed, lunging for the closing hole. Partially knowing that she wasn't going to make it, she retained her balance and landed safely on the building lower. The others, Captain Hitsugaya, Vice-Captain Matsumoto, and 3rd seated Ikkaku arrived only seconds after she did, not realizing the full situation at hand. "Kuchiki Rukia," Hitsugaya began with a commanding tone. "What happened here?"

Regaining her composure, she turned to him with a lowered head. "...I don't know much. I just got here myself." She sighed loudly before beginning her explanation. "I'm pretty sure I saw Ichigo and some other Shinigami with an Arrancar, who then swallowed them into a hole."

'You don't recognize the other Shinigami?" Matusmoto asked.

Rukia shook her head. "No...I'm not even sure if he was an ally or foe. All I know is that Ichigo had no problem being at his side, so he has to be an ally." She looked up at Hitsugaya, allowing him to acknowlege that her report had been finished. "I have no idea where they could've went."

Yet another sigh flowed from Hitsugaya, and his facial expression as just as depressing. With the amount of stress on his back, you had to believe that he definitely carried the weight of someone who looked older than the kid Shinigami appeared to be. The all-too-friendly Matsumoto spoke up. "We should get working on reporting this to Soul Society."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "With everything going on these days, I don't want them to panic unnecessarily. If Kurosaki doesn't emerge by sundown, we'll report it." He turned around. "Let's go."

The other 3 Shinigami followed, but Rukia turned back towards the previous direction of Ichigo's last presence. Sending up a silent prayer, she turned and took off, attempting to live through the rest of the day...as if that was possible with the worry that her mind was feeling. Jumping from building to building she looked down on the minor spirit force she felt. It was Orihime and Chad. Of course, they also noticed the Shinigami hopping from roof to roof, but they noticed Rukia in particular...and meeting nearly eye-to-eye with them spiritually, she shook her head and continued on, motioning the update on the situation.

The two spiritual humans changed direction and headed to Uruhara's home, the place in which they could regroup.

---

"How do you like my little home, Kurosaki Ichigo?" A slight light, emitting from the Arrancar's eyes was all that could be seen. Ichigo and the other man were blinded by the darkness.

"Let's see just how much you've grown in comparison to me...Ichigo-niisan..." he mocked as he silently and stealthily moved in. "I bet you're even more delicious than what you would have been before..."

_----_

**Glossary**

Shinigami A Soul Reaper

Arrancar Creations of Aizen with the Hougyoku. They are fused with Shinigami powers, giving them human-like appearance.

Ichi-nii "Nii-san" would be older brother, but Yuzu calls Ichigo "Ichi-nii" instead of saying "Ichigo-nii-san".

Banjin From the Bleach OVA. He was fused with his Zanpakutoh and sucked Ichigo's power in order to perform Bankai and create an explosion to separate his body from his Zanpakutoh. Reason why he stole Ichigo's spirit force was because it "oozes out". This OVA also mentions Ichigo's inability to suppress his large spirit pressure.


	2. Darkness Broken! Control Lost?

Bleach Fanfiction: Internal Destruction

by Clifton Myles (Teccan)

**Chapter 2**

_Tch. What the hell is this...? _Ichigo thought to himself as he gripped his sword. His mind racing, he could only think of ways to get out of the situation without losing the last bit of self-control he had on his Hollow form. Knowing he was a Vaizard didn't help, so he was already afraid to use Bankai. He knew that being Bankai brought him slowly closer, and that was the very last thing he needed to do...lose control in a place where he wasn't familiar...he could get lost forever. With these troubling thoughts, knowing he was in a dangerous situation, he attempted to stay calm, and held a false resolve, yelling into the darkness. "Who the hell are you?"

The child giggled. **_"I guess you'd be too stupid to remember me...but it wouldn't be fun to kill you without you knowing who I am."_** He giggled again and crossed his arms. The other stranger was more calm in the hopeless situation, and turned to Ichigo to look at his bewildered face. "Ichigo," he said quietly, "stay calm. We have to be careful. I'm sure you know that."

Ichigo's false resolve had already been broken as of the action this Arrancar was doing, and was held into a trance of instability. However, for a moment, he was able to break free from this state and look at the stranger. Noting the calmness in his face, he felt a ping of pain as he began to realize how much he was losing his tenacity. That pain turned into a shade of green as he narrowed his eyes. "How am I supposed to trust **you**? His sword still in his right hand, he pointed it downward and crouched, looking again at his enemy. With anger as his fuel, he regained yet again a false determination and held his blade up. "I don't even know who the hell you are!"

The child giggled again at the assumed stupidity of the Shinigami, and as it echoed, Ichigo gained knowledge of the location where the arrancar was and slashed down with his blade, creating a large blade of spiritual energy that cut through the darkness towards the target that he had in mind. The laughter continued to echo and started to warp around. Looking at the blade of spiritual energy, the two Shinigami saw the image of the boy when the light shone past him, but it blew up behind him. _Shit, I missed...but at least I know where he is. Now all I gotta do is--_

**_"Shoot a little faster when you hear my laugh, right?"_**

Ichigo's eyes widened, and he froze in place. He knew...the child was behind him. Unable to speak, the boy continued. **_"That won't happen."_**

A scream emitted from Ichigo as a sharp pain ran through his back, his nerves screaming to him that he had been sliced in the back. He stumbled forward in pain, and fell on one knee. The stranger had heard the scream, but was unable to do anything, as he had no idea what position Ichigo was truly in. "Ichigo!" He screamed, hoping to get a positive response...but he knew better. Footsteps could be heard. **_"Ichigo...I'll tell you...of our first day meeting."_** A slight chuckle could be heard. **_"Your friend might know of this story as well."_**

Ichigo was breathing hard now, attempting to gain a sufficient amount of oxygen for his blood. The strike had placed so much fear into him that he almost had a heart attack, and his blood was circulating faster. Now needing oxygen, he was in a state of shock as the boyish arrancar continued.

_**"I will tell you Ichigo, of the day we met...it was a day in which us Hollows were drawn to a source of spiritual energy, and, as the day went on, more and more Hollows followed after what I now know was bait."**_ Footsteps were heard again, the sound circling Ichigo's head. The arrancar paced slowly around him...again progressing in his story.**_ "During this time, a lot of spirit energy was circulating the city, and it drew me, as a Gillian Menos Grande, to you and your spiritual friend with the bow. However, you injured me, Ichigo. From that day on, I swore that I would eat you."_**

Ichigo, finally catching his breath, now calmly stood up. "It...it won't be that easy," he said, sighing. "after all, I have quite a few people who want me dead, and I've managed to handle things..." His confidence getting the better of him, he slashed to his right, remembering that location being the last sound the arrancar made.

He felt no cut.

But his nerves were screaming again, and this time, it caught him by surprise. The cut was shallow, but quick, aimed at his left shoulder. The naive Shinigami winced in pain and bit his lip. **_"I didn't say to interrupt me. Afterwards, I found out from other sources that you were Ichigo...that you weren't a real Shinigami, and that you had just been in Soul Society. It's amazing what information you gain from one of your own betraying you."_**

"Aizen!" Ichigo exclaimed before wincing again in pain.

**_"That's right. After that, I volunteered to be one of the experiments and--"_**

The explanation had been cut off, but all that followed were sounds of metal versus metal, going on for what seemed like minutes to the one in pain, but only lasted less than half a minute. Finally, a pain-inducing grunt was heard, a human-like one. "Damn it! Ichigo, stop trying to do this alone!"

**_"I can see here, even though you can't. You can't sneak up on me."_**

"Shut up! I already told you, I can't trust someone I don't know!" Ichigo screamed back, standing straight again in stubbornness. "Who are you?" Immediately Ichigo recieved an idea and stabbed his sword into the ground, and began to channel spirit energy. The stranger, already noticing the light generating from the young Shinigami, stepped in Ichigo's direction before appearing beside him.

"The name is Kodaishi Jin," he said, taking a offensive stance. "I'm a Shinigami as well. I am a former lieutenant of the Gotei 13." As Jin saw the arrancar back away, he stabbed his sword into the ground, and with a look that spelled determination, said, "I think I have a better way." It was then that he spoke the two syllables that were music to Shinigami ears.

"Bankai."

A large amount of spirit energy flowed out of his body. "Teishi Kusanagi! Amaterasu! (Disciple Kusanagi: Amaterasu)" A flame spread from his blade lighting everything aflame, but Ichigo and Jin remained untouched. "This is my Bankai, Ichigo. I'm making enough light for us to fight properly." Eventually the flame died a bit, but flame remained alive on the possible edges of the alternate realm. The kid jumped over the flame, and spread a bit of spirit force to push away the flames, but his hold had finally been broken.

Ichigo smirked, and brought his sword in front of him. With newfound strength in their advantage, he grabbed it with both hands. "Ban-"

**_YES!!!_**

Ichigo paused. _Was that him...?_ But he had no choice, Bankai was necessary to win. "Ban--"

**_COME ON!!!_**

Again, another interruption. This time Ichigo was sure it was him, but he felt that he would be able to contain it..._I need it now...I can handle it...I know I can._ "Ban-"

**_KAI!!!_**

A pulse shot out from Ichigo as the spirit force around his body grew and encased his body in a black silhouette. Powerful winds came from all sides, pulling the fire into a large tornado that surrounded the transformation. Jin, stunned by this display, already knew that it would be bad to be next to him and took a step backwards to greatly increase the distance between him and Ichigo. The arrancar, however, appeared to be unimpressed at this display of power, not knowing of the truth that lay within. Feeling a need to say the last word before the fight truly began he only had one thing left to add:

**_"I created a Japanese name just for you, Ichigo...my name is--"_**

The combination of wind and fire finally exploded, blasting flame in all directions on the floor. The black spirit power had also left Ichigo's body, cutting in all directions. The child, even more upset of being interrupted, put his hand up to stop the attack which had him sliding backwards to do. Jin, also in the crossfire despite the distance, had enough time from gaining light from the fire to create a barrier of water and lightning to save his own life. Looking up at the new Ichigo, he prepared to go on the offensive.

Only a grunt left the child's face. It was now visible that he had metal blades protruding from his forearm in a crescent shape. **_"Whatever...Junshirou Kannyuu. That was my name as a human."_** However, Kannyuu barely had the time to say his name before he felt a blade at his back.

"That's how I know you're a kid," Ichigo began, smiling as the young one turned to look at him. "You still act like you're the most important thing here." Zangetsu had already begun its swing into the side of the arrancar when Ichigo was forced back. A burst of spirit energy sent him backwards, but he caught his balance and flipped out it, sliding. No sooner was that done that a wave of flame circled Kannyuu. It didn't go unnoticed, but the swirling attack that followed did. Jin was at the head of this one. _Amaterasu should be the best thing to go with here...more flame, more light._ The arrancar was already in the air however, turning his body so that his head faced down and pushed off of the air, or possibly the ceiling, to charge directly at Jin.

_Damn it, he's coming fast...normal shield can't block his next attack. Switch for more defense... _"Tsukuyomi!" Jin yelled. A flow of water began to form around his body. He swept his left hand in front of him, creating a water shield. Kannyuu cut directly at it with one arm, stationary in the air. Jin reached for his sword with his right hand and cut upwards, but Kannyuu's other arm caught the blade and parried it. As if knowing ahead of time, he kicked off the shield to head in another direction at a high speed. Jin had no time to lower his shield as Ichigo landed on top of it, missing his ambush against the child.

"Damn it, he's no pushover," Jin said.

"Yeah...I know." Ichigo was still standing on the shield, trying to plan his next attack. "You got an attacking type of Bankai?" He asked, turning his head to look at Jin.

"No problem."

"Alright then," Ichigo began, crouching. "Follow my lead." With that, he jumped, leaping fast enough to be undetectable by sight. Jin quickly nodded and broke his water shield. _Alrighty then...I guess it's fair to switch to a more offensive stance..._ "I'm on it! Susano-oh!"

Electricity sparked everywhere, forking outwards along the ground. Ichigo watched as a fork moved past him towards the airborne arrancar and drew his sword back. "Getsuga--"

**_Tenshou!!!_**

Eyes opening wide in surprise, it was too late as the black blade of destruction absorbed the lightning into its outer shell and attacked the arrancar. Kannyuu put his arms together to block with the blades, but the damage was too much to handle. The attack shot him upwards even more, causing him to bounce off the ceiling and fall towards the ground. Ichigo descended after him, but it was too late. Kannyuu had already gained his balance and created a crossing movement with his arms. A crescent of white energy flew towards Ichigo at a high speed. _Getsuga? No._ Tensa Zangetsu cut at the blade, but it was a stalemate, forcing Ichigo to go to the ground. It was then that he noticed that the child's mouth was wide open. Kannyuu was feeling nostalgic now...it was earlier in the year that he had done this, and it was hard to believe so little time had gone by. To him it felt like years of waiting for this moment...

"Ichigo! Get away!" Ichigo turned to the source of the young adult voice. "It's a Cero!"

Ichigo remembered that move...and he remembered how he beat it. But this was one of those times where he didn't feel that confident. The Cero had continued to charge, and Ichigo was running out of time. _I seriously doubt he can block that with his Bankai..._

**_But you can, Ichigo._**

Ichigo's left eye began to change, and stretched his sword out in his right hand. Black spirit energy flowed around him again. "Oi, **shinigami wannabe,** I need you to use your electricity to slow down that cero. **I'm gonna kick his ass.**" Ichigo's voice was changing erratically, but this was no time for speculation. Jin only could nod his head and kneel on one knee and begin channeling his electricity through the ground with his left hand, but it seemed like it was too late as the Cero was released unto the duo. The electricity surged forward and Jin got nervous. He struck his sword out, sending electricity as well to the large beam of concentrated spirit energy.

**_Now is the time, Ichigo!_**

_What the hell are you doing? Get out!_

_**Ha! And let this body die? I don't think so! Besides, I don't think you have much time to talk me out of it, shithead.**_

He was right, and Ichigo knew it. There was nothing that could change that fact. And as he prepared to move forward, Jin's two-pronged electricity attack had begun its job. Careful to explode the Cero attack, Jin caused the ground attack to come forward and attack the Cero at an area that it would travel while the second attack pushed it as to hold it in place. With the continuous amount of spiritual energy flowing within it, the Cero was forming into a circular shape. The rogue Shinigami knew that this was the best he could do, and turned to Ichigo and nodded his head, which gave the signal that it was time to move forward. Ichigo looked forward and as the thoughts raced through his head, he dashed forward.

**_Oi! Do you even know what you're doing?!_**

_...no. But that's the best part._

Ichigo jumped in and out of the electrical currents, dodging the stray bolts to get to the Cero. Even his speed was hard against the speed of light. As he reached the Cero, the thoughts of the substitute Shinigami were numerous, but they all added up to one thing: there was no real solution in his mind. But Ichigo, doing what he always did when he had no clue what to do, began his slash against the Cero.

_**What the hell are you doing?!**_

Ichigo stopped mid-swing, just long enough for a bolt of lightning to shock him, sending him rolling backwards. With a curse and a gasp for air, he stood again.

_Get the hell out of my mind, damn it!_

_**Screw that! You're gonna get yourself killed!**_

_Then what would you do?_

_**I wouldn't do something that stupid against a Cero, dumbass!**_

_I did this without you once, and I can do it again._

The power was charged once again, and Ichigo stepped forward into the currents once more with speed as his guide. Bolts came to his left and right, but he was able to dodge them all once again to reach the Cero, and readied another slash.

**_ICHIGO!_**

The Hollow's screams went on ignored as Ichigo finished his swing into the Cero. A huge explosion of spirit pressure burst from Ichigo, almost sending Jin back. Ichigo's battle for power over the Cero was notable, but the arrancar knew from the pressure that Ichigo was about ready to die. In his mind the he began to laugh, and knew that at last he would kill Ichigo.

The battle was still raging on, and with the powers still against each other, Ichigo was about ready to lose. He was feeling the power pushing against him, and it was at this point his desperation grew. Ichigo's eyes began to change into the silver of his power, but the slight color change inbetween the Hollow side was still there, unnoticed. Jin was still hanging on, but as he continued to do so, he could feel the strain of Ichigo's power repelling his own hold on the Cero. What Ichigo didn't know was that his attack, though insufficient, was causing the Cero to break apart on him...and he would die when it did.

The boost of power, though significant, wasn't enough to turn the tides of battle in his favor, and once again, Ichigo attempted to draw on his raw power to win.

**_SCREW YOU ICHIGO! YOU'RE THE DUMBASS! I'M NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!!_**

Immediately Ichigo's visage changed, and was no longer one of anger and determination, but one of happiness. "**Getsuga...Tenshou!!**" The cutting attack against the Cero began to flow black energy into the Cero. The body of the substitute Shinigami, now manipulated by the properties of a Hollow, twisted unnaturally as he spun his blade like a drill, cutting through the Cero and toward the arrancar. "**Ehehehahahah!"** The warped laughing voice cut through the air as he cut directly through the Cero and to Kannyuu, the black flaming spirit force forming the cutting force that pierced into the arrancar child. Kannyuu, shocked by the attack, only thought of one thing: living.

**_"I can't die here..."_**

The place where the three seemed to be trapped in began to distort itself and fade away. The attack was still attempting to pierce through, but the arrancar was resisting the full brunt of the attack while he attempted to create a better situation. But from the looks of it, one could say that the Hollow-Shinigami product was about to die.

---

A large wave of spirit pressure covered the entire city of Karakura. At this time, fifteen people had noticed it. Two ignored it, two stayed alert but made no action, and three had already left to look for the source while four others attempted to group as a team. Another group of two could feel it, but had no means of which to take action with. They could only express concern for the ones that had the ability to fight the products of Hueco Mundo. The last one, inable to do anything about it, continued life.

Rukia immediately thought of the place where Ichigo had disappeared, and quickly moved there. On foot, Orihime and Sado run as fast as they could to find a focal point in spirit pressure output. Finally, the four visiting Shinigami had now discarded their gigai to follow after Rukia's spirit force. Time was of the essence...this was a situation no one would ignore, and knowing Aizen, it was possible that it would be something that Soul Society could not stand by and fiddle their thumbs about.

---

**"Peh."**

An explosive wave shot out throughout the dimension shattering it, but the Cero had done its job, causing the explosion to send the three combatants flying in alternate directions through the real world sky. Jin quickly recovered, and looked around him and breathed in the real world air. _We're back...finally..._

Ichigo had been thrown to a residential rooftop by the explosion, but a surge of power held him in the air and allowed him to regain balance. He looked on with an evil smile on his face as to what had become of the arrancar. Though hurt, the arrancar regained his composure as well, but was injured badly. There was a small shallow hole below the hole in his upper chest where the black, drilling Getsuga Tenshou had cut into. It was not difficult to see the anger that began to swell in Kannyuu, and his reiatsu began to rise.

**_"You can't do that to me, you bastard..."_**

**"Peh. You're not as strong as I had hoped, spoiled brat."**

Breathing hard, the arrancar now allowed blades on his arm to recede back into his skin. But as he did so, he thrust his arms in a downward motion, catching the hilt of two daggers. With a smile of confidence, he placed them together and allowed a small burst of spirit energy form his Zanpakutoh.

"Ichigo!"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Oi, Ichigo!"

Arriving just seconds after the previous one, the three groups made it to Ichigo's side; Rukia first, Orihime and Sado next, and then the other group of 5 Shinigami, consisting of Captain Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Renji, Ikkaku, and Madarame. Ichigo didn't look back, but only assumed an offensive stance. This was noticable among the others, as Ichigo knew to acknowledge those that came to his aid. However, they all turned their attention to the newly created Zanpakutoh. At least, most of them paid attention. However, two people kept their eyes on Ichigo. Orihime, afraid to say anything, just clasped her hands in a silent, desperate prayer for Ichigo's well-being. Rukia, regardless, directly addressed Ichigo, just as she always did.

"Ichigo?" Rukia looked on with hopes that Ichigo was still alright. No matter how powerful he got, she still seemed to worry about him...and it seemed to get worse the more powerful he seemed to get. "Are you okay?"

The body of the Bankai-transformed Shinigami remained motionless, but Ichigo's head turned to Rukia. "I'm sorry--," he began, looking into her eyes. He seemed emotionless, but began to smirk. His right eye had turned yellow as well. The new situation had brought hope, but it had now begun to fade away, as the sword became white in his right hand. Rukia's eyes grew wide with shock. She knew this reiatsu pattern...it was...

**"--stupid bitch...Ichigo isn't home right now!"**

A Hollow.

----

Gotei 13 - 13 Guardian Squads, the squads in Soul Society that stay in the Court of Pure Souls also known as Seireitei.

Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susano-oh - The Japanese deity of the sun, and of course, flame. To explain Jin's weapon properly, Sansai means 3 calamities of zen (fire, flood, storm). However, Kusanagi is the sword of Japanese legend, that the deity Susano-oh got when he slayed the 8-headed dragon. Susano-oh is also one of the 3 Japanese deities, the three altogether being Amaterasu of the sun, Susano-oh of the earth and thunder, and Tsukuyomi of the moon. Jin's Bankai uses their names in reference to what they rule over, and it represents the increase in power of his calamities (fire, flood, storm). Sorry for the long explanation, if you're confused, you can always Google it or search Wikipedia.

Cero - A Hollow attack, which is basically a huge beam of Hollow spirit energy, only Menos Grande Hollow know this move. (Menos Grande as reference to any Hollow level Gillian or higher)

---

I did break some punctuation rules in order to portray a less contained form of the Hollow's presence. I hope you guys enjoy this. Also, anytime I refer to a step as creating a large distance or showing some sort of huge movement, it is referring to the Flash Step, or Shunpo. I don't like to use too many Japanese terms, but to keep it authentic I keep most of them.

By the way, I did change this to teen, because I felt I'd have a larger audience, but in the case that it needs to go higher, I'll do so.

Keep the reviews coming, they encourage me to write more and faster, but I intend to keep writing this. I'm hoping it won't go longer than about 6 chapters.

Did a few edits to chapter one, now it looks really good. I'll probably relabel the chapters when I really start getting into this.


	3. Tears of Heart! One Never Meant to Belon

I sort of remember how I started this chapter, but I changed it. Allow me to explain this time line of unfortunate events:

-My desktop motherboard died. Didn't care, had a laptop. Switched all operations to the laptop. (this was before the creation of this fanfic)

-Laptop dies, inability to gather the information on it. 2.5 years of my life wiped away. Played the man role and didn't cry, but wanted to. (Mid-March)

-Decided to make old desktop work again with the help of a donated computer (from godmother, though not fairy...) (Late March)

-Created a new desktop out of the donated one with a new hard drive and video card. A RAM card dies, leaving me with 128MB. Desktop fails miserably. (Early April)

-Switched new desktop with the "backup" computer, using the recreated one as collateral. Stuffed a 256 in and a new video card. Attempts to continue life begin. (Mid April)

-Get a new review that snaps me back into my writing phase, and leaves me here once again (Late April).

-Random power failures...(Early May)

Bleach Fanfiction: Internal Destruction

by Clifton Myles (Teccan)

**Chapter 3**

_Tears of the Heart! The One Never Meant to Belong?_

**"—stupid bitch, Ichigo isn't home right now!"**

The horrible words laced with hatred and disgust, infected the subconsciousness. As the words repeated over and over, it became clear that things had changed. But then it was heard again...the horrible words...the word he had referred to her as...it was too much for the subconscious of even a Shinigami to take. But the subconscious refused to let it fade. Repeating again and again, the fear finally overtook the consciousness and brought it to light once again.

The sheets rustled and the blanket shifted as the figure awoke in a short frantic burst. "Why...?"

The feminine figure lifted herself up and sat up in her futon. Though she lived alone her thoughts were always on her friends, especially the concerns of the one particular one. But this time around her mind raced of what had just passed on that day...that day that she really had wished didn't really occur. The one living person she cared about the most had become someone—no, some_thing _else. The reiatsu pattern, the visage, even the worried voice that always had cautioned her away. But those words weren't aimed at her...they were aimed at _her_, the one who seemed to be the most involved in his life.

For a moment, a pang of jealousy shot through her, once again stirring the peaceful and pure soul she possessed. Why weren't those words meant for her? Was _she_ so important to him--Ichigo, that even the person he had become engulfed in her never ending influence? Why _her_? _Why not me...Ichigo...?_ As she remembered the events as they passed, she became less involved with what had happened to Ichigo, but rather her role: helpless...

_Again_.

The man she loved needed her the most, but not only was she not there to help him, he did not look to her for help and hope. She gripped her sheets as a fury of emotion washed over her. And once again she finds herself covered by her sheets. Softly saying his name with a cracked voice. "I-Ichigo...why...?" Again a waterfall of emotion washes over her as she screams into her bedding.

"Why don't you hate me like you hated her?! Is it because you love her?!"

Streams of water begin to soak the sheets. A cracked voice yelled into the bedding once again, but it echoed throughout the lonely home she lived in. Her roommates remained quiet yet attentive...

**"Is it because you love Kuchiki?!"**

---

"Idiot. How could you..."

Yet another female awakened in the night. Her bedding was unmatched, as if tossed together for a temporary stay. Her pajamas, pink, could be seen even in the dark. Sitting up as well, but cautious of her limitations, she laid back against the wall behind her pillow.

"I told you to never lose control...you promised me you would protect this town...and you promised Inoue that you would never let her be hurt again...so why...?"

She kicked against the wall in front of her in anger. The confined space gave her only enough room to go so far, but it didn't matter. She wasn't in a real room. She was in a room within a room, but no one existed in that outside room. She slid open the door that lead to her concealed sleeping quarters and look outside. Her clothing glowed from the light of the moon outside the window. But she didn't see a moon through that window...she saw the look of the young man, a young man who had given her so much, suffering. That morning, if only she had known the torment that he felt.

"But you're still an idiot..." Tears ran down the cheeks of the earth-bound member of the Kuchiki family. "...and I'm an even bigger idiot." It was then she realized that not only did she ignore him that morning, but his life had gradually gotten worse ever since he helped her. With that thought she took her sheets with her and laid down on his bed.

"Come back, blockhead," she began, tears welling up. She was trying to hold in the next wave. "Come back, idiot..." Her tears ran down over her eye as she laid on her side on the bed. "Come back, Ichigo!" She began to cry harder, each breath feeling heavier and heavier. "Come back, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

His image in the window began to fade away, and the moon once again shone on her sorrow-stained face. Just like the one who held the jealousy, she was losing control over emotion.

**"Come back, **_**Ichigo**_**!"**

---

Streaks of light flashed through the sky, brightening up the figure that was now consuming the area around it with its reiatsu. Light reflected from the white blade the figure now held, and, slowly but surely, his outfit changed from black to white. The sight captured the attention of all who could see the spiritual. One in particular, a friend of the previous form of this figure, spoke up.

"Ichigo," he began, his red hair flying back from the spirit pressure, "what's going on with you?"

The spirit pressure grew, even causing the figure's clothing to react. The one called Ichigo turned to him, his skin getting paler and paler until it became completely white to match his clothing. "**Oiyo, guy, how many times do I have to tell you?**" He slashed backwards with his sword, causing a contrast of colors. A black energy in the form of a blade flew towards the red-haired individual. "**Ichigo ain't home!!**"

_Tch...Ichigo...! _The one known as Renji unsheathed his sword quick enough to raise it to defend himself, but the force of the attack pushed him back a few feet before his sword gained teeth and forced the spirit blade aside. With Shikai active, he already felt the strain of his seal, and understood that pushing him any further would be suicide. But one thing was certain to the Shinigami...this wasn't Ichigo. He remembered this pattern...not too long ago he felt it in the time period that Ichigo was battling his superior, Kuchiki Byakuya. It seemed like it was only a few seconds, and was shrugged off as a misread, but now, he was certain. As the hair of the one he considered to be his rival turned from orange to white, he knew.

_This _was apart of Ichigo...

---

The memories of that afternoon continued to replay over in his mind, vividly as if he was almost there again. At the top of the house of Orihime, he looked into the same full moon as Rukia, and wondered where and when the one formerly known as Ichigo gained the power and reiatsu of a Hollow. Drowning out the crying of the young woman below him, the captain let his mind drift back in time. The images flashed again...

---

"**Damn you, Ichigo...you're friends with such troublesome people...freakin ridiculous!**"

Looking around him, all he could see where the looks on their faces as they stared at the white version of the image of Ichigo. Annoyance grew within him, especially with the black-haired female...every time he looked at her he felt a pang of emotion. This primitive being had no knowledge of what emotion was, only that it was apart of Ichigo...a part he was trying to do away with. He turned to her with the same grin on his face. If he was going to get rid of Ichigo...he would have to get rid of her. Using spiritual energy as his floor, he dashed towards her with an outstretched hand, grabbing her neck and ramming her into the building rooftop. "**Ya gotta go, missy…**"

A pulse of reiatsu broke the ground broke the cement below the small female Shinigami, but the white figure resembling Ichigo was looking elsewhere.

"_**Did you really think you could just ignore me like that?**_"

"…**ya, I kinda did! Git' the hell out of the way!**"

The arrancar had attacked the white one. With Zangetsu in his right hand blocking the attack, and his left hand pressed against Rukia's neck, he seemed a bit overpowered. But instead of thinking of what to do, the white one lifted and slammed Rukia down against the roof again, causing it to break and make her fall through. A free hand was now open, and he used it to point two fingers at the arrancar's chest. A sanguine glow surrounded the fingers as the white Ichigo gained his classic Surprise took the arrancar and he jumped backwards pulling sword to guard his chest just as the shot of spiritual energy overtook him. _Cero? _Hitsugaya thought to himself.

"**Heh.**"

As the smoke cleared, the reiatsu-tempered skin appeared charred and broken. The hollow-shinigami hybrid, named Kannyuu, had a look of fear and anger in his childish face. It was already apparent who the stronger one was, as the Shinigami watched this Hollow-on-Hollow crime continue in shock. Ichigo, or the one they believed was still Ichigo somewhat, had used the signature Hollow technique. Immediately it became clear to Captain Hitsugaya, the leader of the earthly Shinigami team, that this situation was too dangerous to proceed with. But curiousity held him to that building. Curiosity forced his mouth shut, hiding the orders that was crucial to the survival of his unit members.

"_**Shinigami…that was…a…a…Cero…**_"

---

It was then he knew that the problem he had would definitely call on Soul Society's attention if he didn't suppress the situation immediately. Planning and timing was of the essence, and it wouldn't be long until Ichigo would be classified as the rest of them "masked warriors" that were "kill-on-sight". He sighed and looked up again for hope, but none would come.

There was one other man who felt that Ichigo's transformation wasn't right. The man known as Madarame Ikkaku found himself more upset than sad or confused. _It isn't right Ichigo...I finally gain Bankai, and you gain something like this?! I always knew you had something special within you, but not this...not now..._

He slammed his fist against the wall, cracking into the home he was now staying at. But his mind wasn't into how Keigo would react. He was frustrated. _You wanted to save Rukia...and you gained power to do so...but this...this isn't power. _He looked back again at the events that had everyone else up that night. _This isn't power._

_This is...insanity._

_---_

"**Is that what it's called?**" He said, playfully. "**I just thought I was channelin' spiritual energy into my fingers to stab ya with!**"

The fear subsided from the arrancar as he tightened the grip on his Zanpakutoh. He had gained a new resolve. "_**I was being easy before, but now I will kill you.**_" He moved his right hand to the side, holding his Zanpakutoh out. "_**Before you die, I suppose you'll need to know my name..my real name..**_"

The child-like arrancar chuckled and called upon an aura of reiatsu. "_**My name—**_"

The aura of reiatsu disappeared, and the arrancar's voice fell silent. His mouth opened as if attempting to scream in pain as a white blade was skewered through his throat. The Bankai of the one named Ichigo had overpowered the arrancar easily in the hands of this new being Ichigo had become.

"**Peh. I don't even HAVE a name…why the hell would I wait for you to tell me yours?**"

Blood overflowed from the child's mouth. The sound of his neck breaking could be heard as the blade was twisted. A laughter echoed through the silence in the kill pierced its way into everyone's mind as the Hollow Ichigo cut downward, leaving behind a white trail of energy behind the cut. The power of the attack caused the remains of the body to explode, removing the once dangerous threat. One step away, Hollow Ichigo returned to the rooftop that he had dropped Rukia through.

"**Back to what I was doing...**"

He hopped into the hole, floating down to where he placed Rukia. With the arrancar's defeat, Rukia was back to number one on the list. But that was common sense to the other ones. It didn't take long for one of them to jump to action.

"Captain Hitsugaya!" Renji yelled, moving in first. Hitsugaya Toushirou immediately nodded to the others, and they moved down the hole. Orihime and Sado ran back to the stairway

As they followed after the Hollow-like Shinigami, they heard echoes of the insane laughter that were now slowly being etched into their minds as his signature. But the main concern was of Rukia's safety...that is, if the Hollow side of Ichigo really intended to do away with the best thing that happened to Ichigo's life. But he was. Though the Shinigami team wasn't sure, _he_ was. _He_ was absolutely sure...in order to have full control, he had to destroy Ichigo.

In order to stay in reality...he had to destroy everything that represented Ichigo.

In order to be truly free...he had to kill everyone that was a reminder of Ichigo's existance.

In order to achieve his goal...he had to kill...

_**Starting wit' da' Shinigami bitch.**_

He was reaching her...he could feel the reiatsu. But it was stronger than it was before...much stronger. But it wasn't stronger than his. It didn't threaten him...instead it thrilled him. His target was going to put up a fight. However, the black-haired Shinigami had more than just a fight within her...she had a resolve.

_Ichigo...I'm not fighting you. I'm fighting _him

"Sode no Shirayuki..." A bright light glowed from the bottom of the building as the one previously known as Ichigo got closer to his key piece to freedom. As he landed he noticed that her Zanpakutoh had changed form. It was now white. "_**Copying me...eh? EH?! You have ta die, don'tcha realize--**_"

Before the sentenced finished, he found Rukia on the other side of him, and feeling a cold aura consuming him. The dance had begun. Ice and water consumed the hollow and rose into the air, freezing all that was contained in the light in a beautiful display of elegance and grace. _ I have to kill him..._

"What's that beautiful light?" Yumichika asked. The light had just begun to rise to the Shinigami group as they closed in on Rukia. Renji looked closer at the light, and a will to live struck him as he glided sideways yelling. "Move away from the light!"

Not much time could be taken before the light struck, but the message was clear. All of the Shinigami took individual maneuvers to dodge the beam. A breath of air rushed out of Renji in relief, but too soon as a scream of pain was heard above him. Ikkaku's voice. Ikkaku lost his balance as the light grabbed his leg, holding him in the air. With the baboon king still initially released, Renji's Zanpakutoh extended to cut into what was now rock-solid ice to free his comrade. The others descended past him as even the teeth of Zabimaru could not fully cut through the power of Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki. "Hang on , Ikkaku!" He yelled, knowing well how much damage the finisher would do if Ikkaku was not released in time. In desperation he called upon the little reiatsu that he could muster. He swung to a level flooring on the story and channeled. "Ban-"

_Shatter..._the ice shattered, destroying the essence that was the Hollow version of Ichigo. Rukia began to sheath her sword, sighing. If her timing had been off, she would've missed her chance to destroy the menace.

"Rukia!" Recognizing the voice, she looked up to see Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, landing on one knee, followed by Yumichika. A scream was heard in the distance as they all looked up. Hitsugaya went cold knowing the reason for the cry out. Before Rukia could say a word, he interjected. "Is he gone?"

"_**Why dontcha ask me?!**_"

An explosion could be seen from outside the building, completely decimating the first three stories of the building. Out from the windows white spiritual energy could be seen. The building began to collapse, but another burst of white energy prevented it from caving in on the inside. Dust and smoke filled the air, but no standing shadows could be seen. As it cleared, little by little, only one shadow remained.

Rukia quickly cleared her head and opened her eyes as she laid in the debris. Her head came up...and a white sword came down next to it nearly killing her. The face of her friend appeared in front of her, devoid of color as he crouched down in front of her.

"_**What was that? Didya think you could kill me and get your boyfriend back? HA! Despite my look, this is still Ichigo's body...I'm just in control now. If you want to kill me, you'll hafta kill him too!**_"

Pulling his katana from her side, he raised it with his right hand and aimed for her head. "_**I'm about to be free...die, bitch.**_"

The movement was swift, and the blow made...into her shoulder. Ichigo's eyes widened. "_**Wha...**_"

_Don't kill her...please...don't kill her..._

"_**You pathetic bastard, stop messin' with me!**_"

_Don't kill Rukia..._

The white color, though seeming to be underneath Ichigo, began to recede upwards. The sword's color became absorbed into the arm of the body of Ichigo. The arms followed too. The entire body's white shell became absorbed into one point: the face. The whiteness formed into a mask that had attached itself to Ichigo's left side. A black arm rose to rip the mask off.

"_**You can't do this! I was supposed 'ta win! **_..."

The mask broke apart, pieces flying in all directions. A pulse of spiritual energy emitted from Ichigo's body as he began to return to his original self. "I can't let you kill Rukia." He dropped the mask onto the ground and tugged on the sword that had almost taken the life of a precious person. He looked around at the damage that the Hollow had done and realized just how much damage was done. He could see them all...

Chad laid inbetween the steel bars of the stairs.

Inoue not far away from him...

Ikkaku's leg, missing...

Renji's body, battered and cut...

Hitsugaya, Yumichika, and Matsumoto, torn by cuts and slashes all over...

and Rukia, cut up more than the others, with a deep wound in her shoulder and a near broken neck...

Looking at them he could see himself performing the evil deeds that made them that way...and he knew, that this time, it was different. It wasn't like the last time...it wasn't like against Byakuya. It was different. There was a level of control, of consciousness...where he could see what was going on and had no control. He was losing control of the evil within him...and the others were suffering from it. Looking up into the moon, he disappeared right under the moon's light, and so did his will to fight.

---

The painful memories remembered were tearing him apart, causing him only to bring himself pain. Under the familiar moon in an unknown town, Ichigo began his walk...

Not alone.

With _him_.


	4. Monster Power! Ichigo's New Resolve?

Once again, computer troubles start. I think my motherboard is acting up, because now my keyboard isn't responding to the computer, but the mouse is. And with another computer, **neither** keyboard or mouse responds. So I've been delayed for almost 2 weeks now. However, I got fed up with it and I wrote this on my sister's laptop (kinda stole it). Your reviews mean a lot to me and are probably the reason for my criminal resolve, hehe.

Slight note, even though Dattebayo translates Ichigo's position as an Shinigami substitute, I decided to change that here. Not normally my style but I feel that "honorary Shinigami" seems more fitting to Ichigo's role than "Shinigami substitute" (ex. Honorary deputy, honorary fireman, etc.).

But now, onto the chapter. I hope you like this one almost as much as the previous ones, because there aren't many style changes in this, and there is more dialogue than in the last ones. However, I finally picked on something that was essentially missing from the Bleach equation about Ichigo. Enjoy.

Bleach Fanfiction: Internal Destruction

by Clifton Myles

**Chapter 4**

_Monster Power! Ichigo's New Resolve?_

The neatly paved streets of the bigger city cried out against his shoes. The lights of the city seemed as if they were drawn to this force. Alone, one young man walked the streets of one of Japan's larger cities, detached from the real world. People of the nightlife passed him on the left and right, completely oblivious to the one fact that the young man had been forced to submit to:

_He was a monster._

Destroying buildings, hurting those who tried to help...he took them all as signs of his doom. Turning into a small street, he found no one else there and paused his endless journey. The events flashed in front of his eyes again as he slowly began to realize just what he had let _it_ do. Even though he had gained some sort of control, it just didn't seem like enough. His back against the wall, Kurosaki Ichigo slid down until he was sitting on the pavement. He curled his knees up to his chin and bowed his head, closing his eyes.

"And...that's it?"

Ichigo's eyes opened slowly.

"You're giving up, is that it?"

He raised his head.

"All that power that you wield between your two hands, and this is the extent of it?"

He turned to the not-so-familiar voice and saw the man who had aided him against the arrancar the day before...the same arrancar who fell easily to the power of _it_. "What do you want...?"

The man who had introduced himself as Jin walked closer to Ichigo. There were cuts in various areas of his clothing, but mainly he had come unscathed. "You're pretty damn powerful, you know. Not many Shinigami can wipe out an entire squadron of Shinigami and spiritual humans in one shot. Especially an honorary Shiniga--"

"Stop calling me that," Ichigo interjected, pulling himself up.

"Calling you what? Powerful? A Shinigami?"

"That," Ichigo snapped. "I'm no Shinigami. I don't even know if I'm human anymore." He stood up straight, stretching and cracking various bones along his back. "I need to go now...leave me alone." He turned his back to the only one he knew in that city and began to walk away, trying to remember why he even followed him.

"Wait...I remember now...that's why you say you're not a Shinigami..."

Ichigo twitched slightly but kept walking. But Jin continued. "...you're a Vaizard then?"

The 15-year-old stopped immediately and turned around. He felt that pang that came from realizing just how much of a demon he really was. Remembering the time when Hirako attacked him, it was obvious that they knew something he didn't. With his head lowered in humility he answered with silence. That term was being used quite loosely nowadays, and the more he heard it the more it called him to go to them...but he couldn't. He couldn't join them. He was an honorary Shinigami. It was below him to even consider the possibility to joining a group of former Shinigami.

"I don't associate with them...I'm no Vaizard."

"Oh, is that so?" Jin asked as he walked towards Ichigo. "You just said you weren't a Shinigami...and Vaizards are former Shinigami with Hollow powers." He stopped as the distance was closed to a mere 10 feet. "Let me get this straight...you say you're not a Shinigami, which makes you a former Shinigami. And you have a Hollow inside that you can't seem to control--"

"That isn't my fault!" Ichigo's yell drew some attention to the small street, but nothing to disturb the flow of the nightlife in the city.

"...I understand that. But by definition, you are a Vaizard, are you not? So why don't you associate with them?"

The younger man returned to his pitiful posture and once again answered with silence. His mind was racking again..._I'm a Vaizard by definition...but I'm not a Vaizard because I don't associate with them...right?_ _So what does that make me?_

"So now that we've cleared things up...you're not a Shinigami...so that makes you, by definition..." he gripped the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it. "...a Vaizard." His Zanpakutoh glistened as it morphed into the Shikai. "Vaizards are to be killed for their betrayal to Soul Society." Jin took a fighting stance and readied his attack. "I'll start with you."

Ichigo snapped back into reality and ducked just in time to miss the swing of the spiritually steel-crafted katana. The sword clanged against the wall of the building behind Ichigo as he rolled away from the attacker. Regaining his balance he began to realize just how much danger he was in and started to run. Instinctively, Ichigo grabbed the trinket from his back pocket and turned left at the next corner before a burst of spirit energy appeared. As Jin turned the corner confusion covered his face. His prey was gone. The confusion soon became frustration...Jin stepped onto the roof just in time to catch the confused teenager jumping from roof to roof. It didn't take much to make him to follow. Step by step he attempted to get closer to Ichigo and at the same time Ichigo found himself getting away step by flashing step.

_...what the hell is going on now...? He wants to kill me after helping me? Didn't he already know about my situation? Why help now?_

Ichigo felt a pulse of spiritual energy go into his blade and stopped running. He dug his feet into the shingles and braced for the impact of the attack. Sure enough, Jin attacked immediately following his step. The two blades clashed and flame erupted from Jin's Zanpakutoh into Ichigo's face. Defending himself from the flame proved useless as he lost his balance and fell off of the rooftop of the house. The teenage Shinigami regained his balance and landed on his hands and knees, with only enough time to roll away from the point of the blade stabbing downward. The explosion of Jin's attack included water, which tore the street apart as Ichigo bounced off of the ground with one hand to dodge the explosive effect and shrapnel. The water cleared and returned to the state of spiritual pressure around the elemental swordsman. "Ichigo," he began with a jeering voice, "you can't run from my triple element Zanpakutoh."

_Damn it..._

"Triple element?"

Jin relaxed slightly and pointed his sword at Ichigo once again. "My sword is called Kusanagi. It has 3 elements, fire, water, and lightning. I can only use them in a certain order and for a certain amount of time, but it doesn't matter."

_He told me the weakness...why? Does it really not matter...?_

It was too late to ponder further. Jin had swung at him again, and Ichigo was forced to hop back to dodge. The movement proved hopeless when Jin changed the sword position in his hand to swing upwards causing bolts of lightning to follow after the honorary Shinigami. A blue blade flew towards Jin, canceling the bolts and catching the mysterious Shinigami off-guard. A mere sidestep sufficed to avoid danger, however, and Ichigo's next close combat attack was met with the same certainty. Again the Shikai had clashed again. Ichigo and Jin stared at each other, fixed in not only a physical/spiritual fight, but a mental one as well.

"Why do you want to kill me?" Ichigo asked, wincing.

"Because...you're dangerous now! Do you even understand how much power you have?"

"I don't want this power! I can't use this power! It's evil!"

"Your power isn't evil...the one behind it is..."

The two Zanpakutoh broke away from each other and clashed again, only allowing the wielders to change footing. "It's time to admit it Ichigo...all those times...when you used it's power or when you saw it's power...you liked it."

"What are you talking about?! This thing is completely against everything I stand for!"

"Then explain...why it takes you so long to regain control!" Jin pushed the inexperienced Shinigami back and stabbed his sword in the ground, causing the ground the break and flame to shoot forward from it. Ichigo's perserverance won again, using the Getsuga Tenshou to break the ground at an angle to disperse the flame. Now in the main street they floated above the people of the city, who were now scattering away from the recent explosions. Sirens could be heard, but for those who could sense the spiritual, there was another sound. The sound of a storm center and the chaos within.

"You like it Ichigo...the power...it feels good...doesn't it?"

Ichigo didn't answer with words. Instead he held his sword in front of him, spreading his legs to brace for the impact. The spiritual pressure around him rose and was causing the buildings around him to crack and break apart. Crying out in anger and distress, he called upon the inner power of his Zanpakutoh.

"Bankai, eh?" Ichigo paused and the spiritual pressure fell. Jin chuckled. "This is how I know you're thirsty for power. Any excuse you get, you go Bankai. It's because you don't feel your power here. Maybe it's because your Shikai is permanent. Maybe you love the feeling of gaining a large amount of power at one time. Either way, you want the power. It's okay though. You're young. You don't know the concept of conservation. Maybe your will to become strong to overcome your enemies gave you large amounts of power in short intervals, and now you've reached your end. But you must realize, Ichigo..."

Jin's blade sparked with electricity. "...the more you wish for that power, the weaker you are without that transformation or burst of power."

Walking on the air, Jin moved closer to the frozen Ichigo. "Each time you use that secondary release and ignore your initial, you weaken it...and you cheapen your Bankai. So you feel weaker and weaker even if you use Bankai. This hollow inside you is your key to more power. You don't hate the power Ichigo, you hate its origin, and because of that, you try to defend against him escaping. But your thirst for his power tires even your strongest defenses against the hollow, letting it run free every time you need that extra power. You love the power, and the way he uses it, even though it's against your way of doing things. He aims to kill his enemies. You aim to simply defeat them. It's such a childish way to live with power."

He tapped Ichigo's sword to the side, breaking the Bankai formation. Ichigo stood there frozen, absorbing every word being said and acknowledging it. He was powerless. Everything was true, and he was now just realizing how badly he had made things for himself and his family and friends. A tear fell down his cheek and fell onto the ground. It was now barren of the main populace; only the police remained.

"Ichigo...you're still a kid. Grow up."

_Grow up..._

_**Yea, Ichigo-chan, grow up...to be me!**_

"Fine...if you say so, Jin. But," Ichigo said, swinging his sword behind him. "You won't like it." He lifted it above his head and slashed downward. "Getsuga Tenshou!" The blade moved towards Jin at high speeds, but Jin quickly deflected the energy. Once again Ichigo charged forward to attack. But this time, it wasn't blocked or parried easily. Jin felt the push of Ichigo's new resolve pushing him back into the towers behind him. Only his Shikai stood between Ichigo and his life. Ichigo smirked. "I finally get it."

"Get what...?"

"I get it," Ichigo answered, pushing again. "The power I thirst for is what the hollow has...so I suppose I should be more accepting of what I have right here in front of me. Maybe that's what being an adult is all about; taking--"

"--what you get and making the best of it," Jin finished. "Yeah."

Ichigo backed up, letting Kodaishi Jin out of the hole newly created. "Maybe it's time you returned, Ichigo." Ichigo quickly nodded, and Jin brushed himself off. "Let's head back."

---

Despite the newfound power Ichigo had found within himself, the household of the Kurosaki family remained quiet and the atmosphere was suffocating. Yuzu had shown her feelings the most out of the other members of the household, her bright light being dulled by the sadness in her heart. Even Rukia had been caught up in the stuffy atmosphere that was the absence of Ichigo. No one knew when Ichigo would come back and, of course, Rukia could not say anything about the incident the day before. It was already almost noon and she was getting worried. What worried the rest of the Kurosaki family the most was that Rukia _didn't_ know anything about Ichigo's absence, which said a lot. As the day went on, Rukia could only think of an excuse as to Ichigo's absence for school the next day in case he didn't come back by then.

Her eyes were still red from crying the night before. With the dreary household, no one had even bothered to notice. He needed to come back...not just for his sisters, but for her as well.

---

The journey wasn't long, but Ichigo had to retrieve his body that he discarded to defend himself. "I'm back."

Jin stood at his side, allowing the wind the blow through his hair. His work was done, and Ichigo was on the path once again, the path to success. And so, he yawned and turned away from the town of Karakura. "Ichigo, I'm going to take my leave."

Turning to him, the teenager nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I guess I'll see you later." He stretched his hand out to him. Jin took it and shook it, looking into the eyes that he believed held great promise for the city.

"I doubt we'll meet again, Ichigo." Stepping forward, he was gone. The lone honorary Shinigami looked forward again over the town that he had sworn to protect.

_There's only one thing left to do..._


End file.
